PHYSICAL EFFECTS OF FEAR

A Man connected with a traveling menagerie was sleeping on some blankets on the floor of a tent, when something crawling over his breast roused him. Springing up he threw off the creature, which proved to be a huge rattlesnake. As he struck it says the New York Ledger, he felt the prick of its fangs in his arm, and, with a howl of pain and terror, bounded from the tent and shouted for help, whiskey, a doctor or some medicine. There chanced to be nothing available within reach, and his fellows stood around with scared faces, waiting for him to die, which he appeared likely to do in a very short time. The arm began to swell, and the poor victim was soon gasping for breath and groaning, with almost intolerable pain. At last, just as the breath seemed about to leave the body, some one among the wagons shouted out that one of the pet snakes had escaped. It was an enormous rattler, but harmless, as the fangs had been removed. The reptile was found dead under one side of the tent, where the man had flung it. The bite proved to be the prick from a sharp tack in the canvas of the tent. In an hour the man was as well as ever, save for weakness caused by the nervous excitement. It was the opinion of all who witnessed the incident that, but for the timely disabuse of the man's mind, he would have been dead within a few minutes, the victim of nervous dread and terror.—Selected.